INNISFAIL - Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) is hosting 99 international students during the 2023-24 school year, with those students taking part in both short-term and long-term projects across the 10,600-student division, says superintendent Kathleen Finnigan.
“The relationships our RDCRS student are building with young people worldwide are contributing to developing stronger and more loving communities of hope,” Finnigan said in her March report to trustees. “These relationships will last a lifetime.”
In-person and online programs are an ongoing part of the learning environment for the international students, she said.
“Red Deer Catholic International (RDCI) is grateful of the care and support our international students receive from staff members and their student colleagues,” she said.
RDCI works to provide international students with educational opportunities in the division, which includes schools in Innisfail and Olds.
This school year most of the international students in RDCRS are from Japan, Mexico and Brazil, along with a sizeable contingent from Taiwan and Spain.
“We are also pleased to welcome three Korean students from the same family who joined the program at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys School (in Innisfail) this semester,” she said.
The division is seeing many international students stay with the division through to graduation, she noted.
“We are pleased to report a welcoming trend that is evidence of the quality eduction and safe and caring community our international students can take advantage of at RDCRS, the growing trend for students to stay with us at RDCI to graduate,” she said.
“This year we are pleased to report we will have 10 international students graduating from our high schools with an Alberta Education credential.”
This year RDCI high school graduates have received conditional acceptance at Red Deer Polytechnic, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and University of British Columbia, she said.
In her monthly report to trustees, Finnigan said the division continues to work with Alberta Education on the implementation of updated school curriculum.
“Reports from school indicate that teachers are feeling more comfortable with the focus on the new approach to teaching literacy and the screening data illustrates that students are finding increased success in reading,” she said.
The board accepted Finnigan’s report as information.
